93rdCanadian's 2022 Grow Blog

[93rdCanadian]

Here they are this weekend, not the best by any means but they will produce just enough leaf to keep me busy and next year is another opportunity. You can see some which had developed too much in the starter tray that are really struggling now but at least half look like they will grow ok. They could probably use a good dose of fertilizer as I planted them in an area I didn't amend, however I was under the impression this would better mimic their normal growing conditions to produce a tastier leaf so I'm not sure what I will do just yet.

 

[93rdCanadian]

Ive given a touch of fertilizer and the plants are now growing better but still a bit pale. I dont know how these can be grown in poor soil at all given my experience. Onions were grown in this bed last year and must have really drained the soil. Good to know for the future.

 

[93rdCanadian]

Here they are today looking normal now for the most part. I've given them another feed since the last post but will let them go for 2 more weeks before adding more fertilizer assuming no pale leaves.

 

[Knucklehead]

Here they are today looking normal now for the most part. I've given them another feed since the last post but will let them go for 2 more weeks before adding more fertilizer assuming no pale leaves.
View attachment 42252

They perked up and are looking great now.

 

[93rdCanadian]

They perked up and are looking great now.

Thanks! Some died, some went to flower right away, some continued to grow well, and some fizzled out but the suckers replaced them. Overall it will be fun to play with a little bit of leaf at the end of the year I think. Definitely not what I was hoping to accomplish but I'm more than happy with just this little patch. The potatoes and tomatoes I planted in place of the tobacco will yield a good bounty.

 

[93rdCanadian]

Here they are today, growing fast! The bottom leaves are getting pale so I gave them some fertilizer today. Things are looking pretty good, I will have to figure out how to clean the leaves though, lots of stuff stuck on them currently but no bugs so far at least! The leaves are about as big as my hand so I do think the spacing came out pretty well for oriental tobacco. Overall I'm pretty stoked to see what I got.

 

[Knucklehead]

Beautiful plants.

 

[93rdCanadian]

The plants are looking great! I think at least hahaha.

The bugs finally arrived and so Ive dealt with some aphids but overall not too bad. Ive also topped the plants as they began to flower. I think I am close now to harvest so I probably need to get those facilities ready.

Here are some older and more recent photos. You can see the Black Sea Samsun (non ripply leaf edges) and the Prilep P66-9/7 (ripply leaf edges).

Let me know what you think!

 

[Knucklehead]

Beautiful, healthy looking plants!

 

[93rdCanadian]

Beautiful, healthy looking plants!

I am blown away by how good they look compared to a few months ago when they were super sad looking.

Proper fertilizer levels are so key to healthy plants, I really don't know how they do it in those sandy rocky soils and I am super curious to know how they manage.

Thanks for looking!

 

[93rdCanadian]

Ok onto harvesting and sun curing, this is what I hope to do, please correct anything that sounds like a bad idea.

Im going to use sisal twine between some 2x2s stuck in the ground in a sunny location.

Im going to prime the leaves as they ripen which I hope starts soon so I can cure the leaves in the heat.

I can bring the strings indoors if it rains or cover them with clear plastic.

Thanks!

 

[Radagast]

I've been thinking of trying to grow Samsun (or maybe xanthi). So far Ive only ever grown prilep as my oriental so I will be very interested in your comparison of the two, having grown them side by side in the same weather as myself. They look great so far.

 

[93rdCanadian]

I've been thinking of trying to grow Samsun (or maybe xanthi). So far Ive only ever grown prilep as my oriental so I will be very interested in your comparison of the two, having grown them side by side in the same weather as myself. They look great so far.

Sorry for the late reply, life gets busy haha. Im happy to share photos for you to see, but I will warn you this wont be a good comparison for what you can do. I really messed up the fertilizer this year and so half the plants are very pale (mostly the Prilep are affected, the Samsun vary from dark green to average green, maybe they aren't as hungry as the Prilep?). The Samsun grew much larger than I expected given the poor fertilization and tight spacing, the leaves are large for an oriental probably around 16" Ill get some photos soon. I'm not sure how any of this will turn out but gardening is always a fun challenge and there is always next year.

I'm going to start harvesting this weekend, its hard for me to tell the maturity but I believe they are ready, the leaves are thickening and getting that crocodile bumpyness to them. Even if they aren't fully ripe I need to get them sun curing before the wet season really settles in.

I should have photos this weekend of my makeshift setup along with better photos of the two different varieties for you.

 

[Radagast]

Sorry for the late reply, life gets busy haha. Im happy to share photos for you to see, but I will warn you this wont be a good comparison for what you can do. I really messed up the fertilizer this year and so half the plants are very pale (mostly the Prilep are affected, the Samsun vary from dark green to average green, maybe they aren't as hungry as the Prilep?). The Samsun grew much larger than I expected given the poor fertilization and tight spacing, the leaves are large for an oriental probably around 16" Ill get some photos soon. I'm not sure how any of this will turn out but gardening is always a fun challenge and there is always next year.

I'm going to start harvesting this weekend, its hard for me to tell the maturity but I believe they are ready, the leaves are thickening and getting that crocodile bumpyness to them. Even if they aren't fully ripe I need to get them sun curing before the wet season really settles in.

I should have photos this weekend of my makeshift setup along with better photos of the two different varieties for you.

I usually mess something up so it will do well to see what kind of punishment they can take anyway. I'm sure you'll get at least something useful!

 

[93rdCanadian]

Here are some photos from yesterday using my hand for size comparison, my fingers are thin but my hands are fairly large.

You can easily spot the Samsun from the Prilep in these photos, the colour difference is drastic.


Samsun

Prilep


I'd recommend trying the Prilep P66-9/7. It suckers a bit more than the Samsun, and the suckers are a bit more work to remove due to the tight internode spacing (fingers get stickier faster). But as you can see the tight internode spacing means more leaves and likely higher yield. The Prilep looks like its maturing faster than the Samsun, and probably has higher fertilizer needs based on my experience this year. They are also a bit shorter and stockier than the Samsun. I also like the look of the frilly leaves as well.

 

[Radagast]

half the plants are very pale (mostly the Prilep

I think that's just Prilep (66-9/7). It always looks that way when I grow it, even next to darker green plants of any kind. And yes very sticky and leafy, I too really like those frilly leaves and the smell of the terpenes on my hand when I tend them. Yours are HUGE. Doesn't look like you have messed anything up by my eye..
Beautiful plants!
[Edit]
P.S.
I don't recall mine ever suckering, but probably because I don't top them.

 

[deluxestogie]

Very nice tobacco grow. Oriental tobaccos in general are not topped, and only minimally fertilized. I find that, even un-topped, my Prilep 66-9/7 suckers quite a bit. I've learned to embrace the suckers on that particular variety. They don't seem to affect the primary leaf size, and (unlike most other varieties) produce leaf equal in quality to the primary leaf. I usually space my Prilep at 12" between plants in the bed. The result is waist-high to chest-high plants (including the bud head). It's a remarkably prolific tobacco. [I might even really love their frilly leaf appearance.]

I will prime the lowest leaf, to prevent its being damaged in the field, and string it. But I stalk-cut and stalk-cure most of it. Always sun-cured. With on the stalk sun-curing, I remove the leaves as they cure, and toss them into a bushel basket inside my shed.

Bob

 

[93rdCanadian]

Very nice tobacco grow. Oriental tobaccos in general are not topped, and only minimally fertilized. I find that, even un-topped, my Prilep 66-9/7 suckers quite a bit. I've learned to embrace the suckers on that particular variety. They don't seem to affect the primary leaf size, and (unlike most other varieties) produce leaf equal in quality to the primary leaf. I usually space my Prilep at 12" between plants in the bed. The result is waist-high to chest-high plants (including the bud head). It's a remarkably prolific tobacco. [I might even really love their frilly leaf appearance.]

I will prime the lowest leaf, to prevent its being damaged in the field, and string it. But I stalk-cut and stalk-cure most of it. Always sun-cured. With on the stalk sun-curing, I remove the leaves as they cure, and toss them into a bushel basket inside my shed.

Bob

Good to know! I feel like I knew that but its been so long and its hard to find information on Oriental tobacco methods. Good information for next year Ill have to write down!

 

[93rdCanadian]

Here is a little update and some lessons learned hahaha.

Lessons learned:
Pick leaves first then string them
Dont put too many leaves on 1 string
Start sun curing before end of August
Prepare ahead of time instead of winging it on harvest day (next year ill build some proper supports to hang plants)

The update:

I harvested the plants a few weeks back but the weather cooled right down and Im still trying to get these leaves to cure. (Photo is fron harvest time)

The Samsun didnt cure as easily with a fair amount drying green, maybe due to being less ripe at harvest. All the Samsun was lost to mold. The leaves cured to a darker red brown and were aromatic.

The Prilep cured easily with none drying green. I lost about 20% to mold. The leaves cured to a golden yellow brown and are very aromatic.

Mold losses were high due to too many leaves on a string and poor weather conditions.

What I did get smells wonderful though and I learned my lessons for next year. I need to get better organization to hit key milestones, going by the seat of my pants didnt work to well this year but it was a lot of fun.

Looking forward to trying this out in my pipe once its rested a bit. Ill get some photos of the leaf and shred when its ready. Next year I hope to do 2 brightleaf plants sun cured, maybe a handful of prilep again, and some Harrow Velvet burley and 1 or 2 little dutch to give air curing a shot.

Thanks for watching!